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Chapter 1165 "Cheating"

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Though he has become an extraordinary being for less than two years, Klein's experiences are truly rich and diverse—even among the saints of Sequence 4 and Sequence 3. He has handled, encountered, and even swiftly dispatched numerous items that could now be summoned from the historical fissures. Among these, he has chosen the "Yang Flame Seal" he used during his time in Tinggen City—the one already recited, infused with spiritual energy, and now poised to be activated! While this may not offer a particularly strong counter-effect against the inherently strange and mutable "Prophet" path half-divinity, which primarily relies on its own destructive power, Klein will not retreat or defend. Instead, he will open himself fully and embrace wholeheartedly the light of "Hope." — Even at the level of Sequence 3, the "Seer" path's defenders remain notably weak, and their offensive capabilities are equally underwhelming compared to their tier. This results in a lamentable reality: when Caine wished to commit suicide, he lacked the means to act swiftly on his own. Indeed, he could not manipulate his "spirit threads" to transform himself into his own double, as this would create a logical contradiction—by the time his doubling deepened, he would no longer possess the ability to continue doubling. When seeking external means to end his life, Caine found that without relying on techniques such as "double exchange," "paper man substitutes," or "hiding through historical gaps," he faced an overwhelming array of options. The "Seer" path is thus a particularly powerful yet remarkably extreme and unusual route. Watching Klein about to pull out a "Yahin Seal" from the fog of history—accompanied by a strong sense of suicidal intent—Amon only smiled, never lifting his hand, and silently stole Klein’s entire thought process, causing a subtle glow to ripple across the single crystal lenses of his glasses. Klein instantly forgot what he had just intended to do. Yet his actions did not pause at all. He realized that much of his stunned, astonished reaction—especially the one when he heard that the destination was only half a day away—was largely feigned, because he had remained vigilant against Amon, the God of Deception, and had never fully trusted every word He spoke. There wasn't enough time for more than three explanations. By then, Klein had already prepared for the worst. Upon hearing Amun's words, he immediately organized his subsequent actions into a clear sequence: after forming the idea of summoning the "Yangyan Seal" to commit suicide, he would repeatedly summon that being—summon that being, summon that being—repeating the process over and over, ensuring that no matter how long Amun delayed, he could still carry out the necessary steps according to plan. This experience from earlier, when confronting "0–08" and contemplating within the gray mist, treating his own physical self as a puppet and acting strictly according to pre-set procedures, proved immensely helpful. Though at this moment Klein didn't recall exactly what he had just thought, nor did he feel any sense of forgetfulness, he was certain about the course of action he would take next. The past no longer mattered—what counted now was the present and the future! Klein reached out again, extending his arm toward the void just to the side and slightly in front, and the entire arm suddenly felt heavy. Yet, when he pulled his right hand back, nothing emerged. At the same time, Amun raised his palm and gently reached forward. He had stolen the image of the historical rift that Celine had summoned! A figure swiftly materialized beside Amun—a老 man in a black robe with a hood, his eyes deep and dark as still, unlit water, and a long, dense white beard framing his face. Zarathustra! Zarathustra, the head of the Order, the Sequence-1 angel Celine had intended to summon—had succeeded in summoning him on the very first attempt! This was due to Celine's prior preparations. While in the city-state founded by the followers of the Phoenix, when Celine divided the secret figures into three groups to summon projections of the historical rifts, the original entity had actually been attempting to summon Zarathustra all along. Undoubtedly, it could not have succeeded at that time. Yet, as an "Ancient Scholar," if one failed to perceive one's own historical gap projection being summoned—when others attempted to call it—that would be a profound failure. And Zarathustra was certainly an experienced, accomplished, and seasoned "Ancient Scholar." This single summoning, destined to fail, established a connection between Caine and Zarathustra. This is the unspoken understanding among "Ancient Scholars!" Moreover, an "Adept of Miracles" or a "Mysterious Servant" can elicit an active response from their historical gap projections—just as every "Ancient Scholar" successfully draws upon the power of their past selves. Additionally, the "Ancient Scholars" summon historical images from their gap projections without any contractual bond—relying either on the projection's lack of intelligence or on a favorable relationship between the two. Among all the beings in this world, the ones most reluctant to see Amun attain the high office of "Source Citadel" are: first, the "Gate" gentleman; second, Palis; and third, Zarathustra! That is, Kline and Charathu were only temporary allies in their struggle against Amon. Based on these factors, Kline believed he could summon Charathu in a single attempt—and he was proven right. Precisely because of this, he had no concern that Amon would steal away his historical gap projection, in fact, he even hoped that the "Angel of Time" would do so. He had proposed the idea of suicide before summoning Charathu specifically so that Amon might seize that thought. As the King of Angels, Amon is naturally inclined to seek novelty and stimulation, and when faced with numerous choices, the next time he might no longer simply steal ideas—but instead take away the very historical gap projections summoned. This is one of Kline's few reserves. The very next moment, Charathu's expression, previously stiff and lifeless, became vibrant and instantly gained a sense of authenticity. It is evident that this "mysterious servant," this seasoned "ancient scholar," has entered the historical fissure, granting the contemporaneous projection a distinct self-awareness! The projection of Zaratustra, now endowed with its own consciousness, immediately and resolutely turns its gaze toward Amun. Amun blinks simultaneously with both his spectacles and his uncorrected eyes, and as the frequent lightning strikes and deep gullies of the barren plain surge and fade, the landscape suddenly becomes intangible and profoundly dark, studded with brilliant, shimmering stars. It seems as though Zaratustra has drawn Amun beneath the celestial expanse. This is a miracle. Opposite Amun, the projection has transformed into a vast, mysterious vortex composed of twisted, writhing worms, each extending translucent tendrils outward—merely observing them is enough to drive one mad, to induce distortion and frenzy. At this moment, Caine discards all other considerations in the formation and seizes the opportunity, mastering a monstrous entity deep within the darkness and transmuting it into his own secret companion. Immediately, he and his seer exchanged positions. After arriving deep into the darkness, Caine reached out again, grasping at the air ahead of him, repeating the motion several times, and so did his seer. Finally, he pulled a new figure from the void. It was a simple linen robe, a belt of woven bark, long black hair flowing down, bare feet, an ordinary face with deep, dark eyes—Arianna. The Night Court Abbot, the Head of the Austerity Monks, "The Servant of the Hidden," the Angel of the Earth—Arianna. As soon as she appeared, her dark eyes regained their natural clarity, no longer resembling a mere projection. It seemed her essence had entered a state of concealment, thereby endowing the historical image summoned through the rift with true wisdom. This is also one of the reasons why Kline chose to summon Him, rather than the more successful Azk先生 and the Messenger Miss, ensuring that even if he "died" in an unforeseen accident and the summoning failed, he would still have the opportunity to fight against Amun afterward! ——Once the Historical Gaps, endowed with their own consciousness, began to operate independently, Kline's maintenance efforts became significantly easier, effectively extending the duration of the projections' existence. Kline then swiftly communicated with the "Secret Servant" Arianna, leveraging the connection between the "Ancient Scholar" and the historical gap images he had summoned, instructing Him to kill himself! Arianna's body arched suddenly, her right hand reaching behind her and drawing forth a long bone sword adorned with strange patterns from the depths of darkness. Then, with a decisive stride, she launched the sword forward. The darkness surged violently, spreading rapidly and intensely toward Kline's position. A unfortunate monster happened to be positioned between Arianna and Caine, and as the dark tide surged in, it was directly dissolved. This was not a hidden power—it was the fusion of the powers of slumber and fear, symbolizing danger within darkness, and the silent, unnoticeable destruction and disappearance. Only at Sequence 3, the "Bishop of Fear," could extraordinary beings of the "The Unsleeping" path master this force. Subconsciously, Caine's survival instinct urged him to flee, yet at this moment, he felt every strand of darkness around him as an enemy, each one infected by that force, becoming part of the tide—unavoidable, escape impossible. You need not exert such effort; with just a portion of your power, you could easily kill me… Caine suppressed the instinct of a living being, standing still, awaiting dissolution. At that very instant, a distant, ethereal chime resonated throughout the surroundings. It seems to have come forth from a long history, making everything around it slow, even the surging darkness. In the half-sky, patches of black are pierced, revealing a massive wall clock carved from stone. Ancient and weathered, its surface is divided into twelve segments by shades of gray-white and dark green-black, each bearing distinct symbols. Three hands—long, medium, and short—move within, as if composed of twelve weathered, time-worn "clock insects." With each tick of the second hand, the chime resonates once more. When! Within the echoing sound, the tide-like darkness flows more slowly, then the ancient image of the clock dissolves, returning to Amun—dressed in a pointed soft hat and a single spectacles. Chalatua’s projection behind him likewise remains in a state of slowness. Immediately, Amun appears in midair, extends his right hand, and gently presses it toward the dark expanse. Darkness soon returned to normal, engulfing Caine without causing him any harm—whether due to a bug or whether his extraordinary effect had been siphoned away remained unclear. At the same time, Amun's body instantly swelled to an extraordinary size, reaching nearly fifteen to twenty meters tall, yet his garments showed no signs of damage. He gazed down upon Caine, adjusted his single-spectacle glasses with a hand, ignored the attacks unfolding behind him as Chalatu's projection surged forward, and smiled with growing interest. "Interesting."